FEATURED ARTICLES ABOUT OCTOPUS - PAGE 2

As easy as 1-2-3 The NHL record for scoring the quickest hat trick belongs to Chicago's Bill Mosienko, who scored three goals in 21 seconds on March 23, 1952. But Mosienko doesn't have the all-time record. In January 1982, Steve D'Innocenzo of Holliston, Mass., scored three goals in 12 seconds against Westwood High School. Penalty-packin' Randy Holt During a 10-year career from 1974-84, Randy Holt played for seven teams and scored four goals. But Holt does have a place in the NHL record book.

Dealing a blow to sea monster lore, Maryland biologists have determined that two huge masses of flesh washed ashore in the past 99 years, including the Bermuda Blob of 1988, are not remnants of an enormous mythical octopus, as some scientists and fishermen had theorized. Tissue specimens saved from the 150-foot-long remains of an unidentified creature grounded on a Florida beach in 1896 are almost certainly part of a whale, the researchers conclude. A similar fleshy mass that washed ashore in Bermuda seven years ago was probably part of a very large fish or shark.

By Anita Gates The New York Times and Roger Catlin The Hartford Courant, December 24, 2005

Earlier this year, James Cameron released a short documentary called Aliens of the Deep. Cameron's premise was that there are underwater creatures on our planet that rival any outer-space creature the Star Wars or Star Trek writers could dream up. Bob Cranston, an underwater cinematographer, offers something similar in Encountering Sea Monsters, airing this week on PBS's series Nature. The title suggests that whether the fabled Loch Ness monster exists or not, some absolutely real sea creatures are just as frightening.

His is a garden that combines the atmosphere of Key West and South Beach, with a touch of the New Jersey shore. With the opening of The Octopus' Garden in downtown Hollywood, Nick Meenan has set out to give his patrons gourmet-style meals in a relaxed, laid-back setting. "We offer a high-quality product for a low price," he said. "The food here is a lot fancier than people think." Meenan has been in the restaurant business for 22 years, but The Octopus' Garden is his first venture. The eatery, which opened in the fall, is at 1942 Hollywood Blvd.

Lou Glesmann took his job as New Year's Eve glitter globe creator seriously. He cruised the Internet to learn how the professionals in New York design the famous lighted ball that drops every year in Times Square. He headed to his shop and started laboring on the dozens of twinkling lights that would adorn the sphere. Two months later, he emerged with a lighted ball that would descend more than 100 feet at midnight during Delray's First Night celebration in January. First Night International has named Glesmann, 53, as one of nine volunteers nationwide selected for the Volunteer Honor Roll.

3400 block of Pinewalk Drive. A BellSouth portable telephone and a purse were taken from a residence between 1 and 5:30 a.m. Sept. 5. Cake was splattered on the living room carpet and dining room walls. No signs of forced entry were reported. Vehicle burglary -- 400 block of Clancy Circle. A rear window was pried open to enter a 1989 Dodge Ram van between midnight Sept. 4 and 10:47 a.m. the next day. A blue aluminum dive tank, an Oceanic dive computer, an Oceanic octopus, a Delta regulator, a pair of Mars swim fins, a wet suit, a dive knife and case and a Packard-Bell computer, monitor, keyboard and modem were stolen from the vehicle.

Arrive hungry. That's the best advice for diners heading to Las Totoritas, a pleasant Miami-Dade County import where a keyboardist plays tunes such as Guantanamera or Hello, Dolly nightly from Wednesday through Sunday. Without fail, we had the same reaction every time a plate arrived at our table: That's big enough for two people. Salad. Appetizer. Entrees. Same reaction. All of which makes the bright, dozen-table eatery that much more affordable, considering the leftovers fit for lunch the next day or the ability of two people to share one reasonably priced dinner (all but five offerings fall below $10)

In a world increasingly isolated from nature, public television has become our Walden Pond, where the frazzled denizens of cities and shopping malls come to gape at the mysteries and the beauty of life. Water, Birth, the Planet Earth (10 p.m., Ch. 17) is a visually enchanting climb on the evolutionary ladder, so satisfying to watch that the sound can be ignored. Even mosquitoes become at least interesting, if not beautiful, under Jim Dutcher`s lens, and there is a thrilling underwater chase after an ink-squirting octopus.

Frank Miller's take on The Spirit should make modern-day fanboys happy, what with its dark undertones, beat-it-to-a-pulp action and sly winks at comic greats past and present. Everyone else, including fans of Will Eisner's original Spirit, may find themselves wondering what all the fuss is about. By updating Eisner's '40s-era hero, Miller has done little more than make him just another guy fighting moral decrepitude in the big city. If that sounds like something you've heard before, it is - including in Miller's Sin City, which Robert Rodriguez put on the big screen in 2005.

Kavita Varma-White and Emma Trelles contributed to this report, May 18, 2006

In researching his next book May I Shoot Your Dog, Jeff Moore wants your pooch. (No worries; "shoot" in the shutterbug way, not the vice presidential way.) The Connecticut-based photog is on a tour of 40 pet boutiques across the country scouting for subjects. Head to Sandy Paws at CityPlace in West Palm Beach today from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and for $75, your Best Friend gets snapped by Moore. A $10 donation goes to the Safe Harbor Animal Shelter and the best photos get used in the book. Call 561-802-4397 for reservations.